How do you keep the beet?

I love beets.

I welcome new ways to prepare them. Roasted beet and walnut salad with kombucha vinaigrette is a recipe from Jenny McGruther’s new cookbook available via our Amazon affiliation The Nourished Kitchen: Farm-to-Table Recipes for the Traditional Foods Lifestyle (Ten Speed Press 2014). It is re-published below by permission.

The benefits of beets

Beet roots have always been included in Dr. Joseph Mercola’s most recommended vegetables list, although we are advised to use them sparingly because of their high carbohydrate levels.

Although beets have the highest sugar content of all vegetables, he asserts that most people can safely eat beet roots a few times a week, and their greens in unlimited quantities, enjoying not only their sweet, earthy flavor but also their powerhouse nutrients that may improve your health in the following ways. Dr. Mercola lists 6 benefits of beets:

1. Lower Your Blood Pressure
2. Boost Your Stamina
3. Fight Inflammation
4. Anti-Cancer Properties
5. Rich in Valuable Nutrients and Fiber
6. Detoxification Support

Kiley Dumas adds another couple of items to the list:

• Beets are nature’s Viagra. Seriously. One of the first known uses of beets was by the ancient Romans, who used them medicinally as an aphrodisiac. And that’s not just urban legend – science backs it up. Beets contain high amounts of boron, which is directly related to the production of human sex hormones.
• Beets help your mental health. Beets contain betaine, the same substance that is used in certain treatments of depression. It also contains trytophan, which relaxes the mind and creates a sense of well-being, similar to chocolate [which we actually recommend you avoid].

Roasted Beet and Walnut Salad with Kombucha Vinaigrette

Prep Time: 8 hours, 5 minutes

Total Time: 8 hours, 5 minutes

Yield: serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Salad

• 2 pounds beets
• 1 tablespoon clarified butter or ghee
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts [preferably crispy walnuts]
• 1 small red onion, sliced into rings no thicker than 1/8 inch

Kombucha Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons kombucha
• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground
• unrefined sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons cold-pressed walnut oil
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. To prepare the salad, trim the beets by removing any beet tops and the tips of their roots. Dot each beet with a touch of clarified butter, then wrap each in parchment paper and again in aluminum foil. Roast the beets for 45 to 60 minutes, until they yield under the pressure of a fork. Refrigerate the beets for at least 8 and up to 24 hours.
3. To prepare the vinaigrette, whisk the kombucha tea with the salt, allspice, cloves, and the walnut and olive oils. The vinaigrette will store at room temperature for up to 3 weeks, but remember to shake it vigorously before dressing the salad because the oil will separate from the tea and spices when left sitting.
4. Just before serving, heat a skillet over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until very hot. Toss in the walnuts and toast them for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid scorching. Remove the cold beets from the fridge, peel them, and chop into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, toss the beets with the sliced onion and toasted walnuts. Drizzle with the vinaigrette, toss again, and serve.

More recipes

There are over 160 recipes based on the traditional foods philosophy of eating, which emphasizes properly prepared grains, raw and cultured dairy, pastured-raised red meat, organ meats, and fermented foods in Jenny’s new book: The Nourished Kitchen. It is available for pre-order now and will be released shortly! I consider it not only to be an invaluable resource but, a work of art.

What are your favorite ways to consume beets?

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